A class action lawsuit claims that Spotify has “turned a blind eye” to fake streams and alleges that Drake is benefiting from them, reports Rolling Stone. Rapper RBX, legal name Eric Dwayne Collins who is a cousin of Snoop Dogg, is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed on Sunday, November 2 against the streaming platform; Drake isn’t named as a defendant, only Spotify is, but the For All The Dogs rapper is one of the key examples in Collins’s argument. “Billions of fraudulent streams have been generated with respect to songs of ‘the most streamed artist of all time,’ Aubrey Drake Graham, professionally known as Drake,” the lawsuit reads. “But while the streaming fraud with respect to Drake’s songs may be one example, it does not stand alone.” The lawsuit alleges that, because of the high streaming numbers, Spotify can earn more revenue from advertisers, writing, “The more users (including fake users) Spotify has, the more advertisements it can sell, the more profits the company can report, all of which serves to increase the purported value delivered to shareholders.” Vulture has reached out to Drake’s team for comment.
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In a statement shared with Vulture, a Spotify spokesperson writes, “We cannot comment on pending litigation. However, Spotify in no way benefits from the industry-wide challenge of artificial streaming. We heavily invest in always-improving, best-in-class systems to combat it and safeguard artist payouts with strong protections like removing fake streams, withholding royalties, and charging penalties.” Spotify also references a former case where the streamer was held accountable for $60,000 out of $10 million streaming fraud case in 2024.
This isn’t the first time legal actions have involved Drake and illegal streaming. In November 2024, Drake filed a pre-action petition against Universal Music Group, Spotify, and iHeart Media for allegedly using bots to boost the streaming numbers for “Not Like Us.” He eventually withdrew his legal action against Spotify and UMG and settled out of court with iHeart earlier this year.
